Can vs power!

[DJMCJERICO]

I'v just had some work done to my 125 virago, and that included fitting a set of drag pipes (straight through), for a 125 they sound amazingly good, but my acceleration has gone downhill.

Standing to 30 now takes double the distance and it tops out much lower, at about 60mph where normaly i'd be getting 65/70 on a straight, and the engin is working a lot harder to do it, when i switch from 4th to 5th at about about 45/50mph (lol) the bike seems to take a couple of seconds before it increases speed.

Any idea's what i can do to rectify this? I was thinking it could be the mufflers?

I know it's only a small bike and being a custom i'm supposed to cruise, but i drive aggressivly and tbh, apart from the noise from the exhaust, it's boring the fck outer me :?
It's to smooth and to easy to ride now, help me before i cash it in for fcking aprilla or something :lol:

[Tark]

Did you change the jetting on the bike after changing the pipes? It could be changing the fuel mixture too mauch and your loosing power.

[DJMCJERICO]

I'm not sure tbh, i had it done at the shop :oops:

[DJMCJERICO]

Tark you seem the man to ask around here, so any tips on making this thing faster and i will buy you a beer for every extra mph i get :wink:

[Lateshift]

The Virago has a 4 stroke 125cc engine, it will be difficult to wring any extra power out of it unfortunately.

The most that could be done would be to increase the air intake by using a K&N filter or something, and increasing the exhaust output by fitting free flow exhausts (which you have done).

However once you have fitted them, you need to have the carburettor re-jetted to ensure that the correct air/fuel mixture is getting burnt.

Other than that, you are looking at a rebore, and increasing the cc rating marginally to something like either a 150 or a 185cc, and at the same time lowering the compression of the cylinder marginally.

At most even with all that done you would be lucky to squeeze and extra 10bhp out of that engine, and in real terms would probably only see an extra 20mph top end at most, but it would feel slightly quicker off the line.

Lastly, and it would mess your speedo up slightly, you could change the gearing (if it is possible on the Virago???) by using a smaller sprocket on the front and a bigger sprocket on the rear to increase the acceleration and lower the top end a tad.

But its costly for something that you wouldnt do normally, the Virago isnt particularly the sort of bike that you would want to increase the performance on so you will very likely find that few companies would support it.


The ideal scenario would be to part ex it for a decent nick 2 stroke 125cc racer like the Aprilia RS, Honda NSR, Cagiva Mito, Yamaha TZR.

All can be tuned to death and scarily quick bikes, and more importantly allow for more aggressive riding, which i cant say i have ever seen a Virago doing :D ;)

[DJMCJERICO]

Cheers, theres some things to think about there, may aswell get the air filter as i already have the exhaust and see about the jetting at the local chop shop.

Don't really want to go down the sports bike route, but if i did it would probably be the cagiva, but i think the mr's would stab me after i'v just spent over £600 on this.

I just don't like the seating/riding position on sports/other bike's, even the idiot proof E5 i wanted to smash to bits after being on one for 5 minutes. :lol:
Its a shame that nobody makes a custom that can be hammered. :twisted:

If you'v never seen a virago being thrashed about then you'v never seen me ride, can't get your knee down on them but they make some pretty impressive sparks with the pegs :lol:

[Lateshift]

The only customs i have seen being made to be hammered tend to be Orange County Choppers ;) :D

But i would have to say that seeing a Virago scraping its pegs would nearly be as funny as watching Gazdaman putting his knee down on that MZ of his :D

[DJMCJERICO]

Tbh the first time i done it was an accident, I was working on southend seafront and was nipping home, got to the old roundabout outside the kursal, lent over, pulled the throttle and kushhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh :lol:

I'v had the front up on it a couple of times, pure fluke oviously and nothing to brag about, a mere 6inc.

I can normaly hit about 82 on the 127 as you come up the wier and get on that hill before the A130 turnoff, that shocks a lot of people :lol:
Doubt it will do 62 now :oops:

[Tark]

Take it back to the shop and ask how a performance exhaust can make you have less power and speed and see what they have to say. Doesn't sound right to me. WHat make exhaust have they put on?

[DJMCJERICO]

It's not really a performance exhaust, or at least i didn't think it was :?:
They are made by Highway hawk.

Although reading up on them, aparently they can improve the hp on a 535 pretty well.

Think i'l skip the place i got it done, and take it to a proper custom place.

[Lateshift]

I am in Westcliff myself, whereabouts do you take the bike to?

[DJMCJERICO]

I'l pm you :twisted:

[DJMCJERICO]

Bike's running a bit better everytime i use it, gonna fill her up tomorrow and see how she goes.

Maybe just need's a blast after being hung up for 10 days :?

[bikageboy]

cant really add anything here as whats needed to be said has been said by others.

might be worth getting some washing up liquid and water solution and putting em on your exhaust ports (where the downpipes come from the engine) to ensure that there are no air leaks - if there are, take it back to the dealers and ask em to sort it out.

but saying that, on my old suzi GS125, i had an old rusty exhaust with an air leak near the rear. sounded amazing , pops, bangs and heaps of over run -but wouldnt pass an MOT, so i got a new exhaust fitted, (same as before) and didnt seem as powerful afterwards.

[DJMCJERICO]

Cheers all, it's a bit on and off at the mo, sometimes it will go straight to 70 and other times i'm stuck on 55 <yawn>

I Still can't see how it ran better with a hole in the manifold and a 4 inch gash in the engine to exhaust "pipe", it's gotta be to richer mix and maybe airflow.

I'v had a quote of about a ton to do the jetting, so i will be doing that pretty soon, but i'm going to do anything i want done before,
maybe change the oil filter and air filter.

It's running about the same distance to get to fourty, but still slow getting to thirty, so the mid range has obviously improved.

I'd like to get it sorted as i'v decided if i do get a quicker bike wether a tzr or do my test i'd like to keep this one for pottering around town etc.

[Lateshift]

that price for jetting sounds too high mucker, Jason over on London Road at Bikewise has quote me £70 to fit a Dynojet kit and K&N filter to my ZX9R, so £100 to get a 125 done sounds extortionate ;)

[DJMCJERICO]

Cheer's i'l give him a call, the one i got the quote from was the other bloke you told me about :wink:

[Lateshift]

If that was Jason that gave you the quote then he is giving you the full price, if he knew you it would undoubtedly be cheaper :)